And soon it will be making you weep, too, and not just because of that hair-do. Put it this way: this young woman cries, actually sheds tears, between vocal takes. Like the Human League, Soft Cell, Yazoo, OMD, Eurythmics and Depeche Mode before her, La Roux sees electronic musical equipment not as cold instruments of aural torture and imperious alienation but as ways to soundtrack her stories in the most immediately accessible way possible. Can you experience invincibility and fragility? We weren't so sure – until we heard La Roux. She uses her keyboard - as do today's other synth-stars in waiting such as Frankmusik, Charli XCX and Lady GaGa - to tell tales about and give insights into her life and all the heartbreak, frustration, wonderment, invincibility and fragility that she's experienced.
Make no mistake (OK, go on then, maybe one mistake), she's a solo female synth star in waiting, the other one, after Little Boots. Not that A Flock Of Seagulls were part of that Golden Age – no, sir, or indeed madam, they were the fag-end of said historic, world-changing movement – but that's the period her irresistible, infectious computer ditties evoke. The background: She's 20-years-old, she's managed by the same team as Klaxons, and she's called La Roux from the French for "red-haired one" – to be specific, she's got A Flock Of Seagulls hair, which makes sense because her music recalls the Golden Age of bizarrely-coiffed synth pop. It may not be worth purchasing if you already own one of the many Flock comps over the years - it covers the same ground as the other discs, after all, and the good remastered isn't quite enticing enough to warrant a replacement - but if you're in the market for a Flock of Seagulls CD, this is the one you should get.The lineup: Elly Jackson (vocals, keyboards).
FLOCK OF SEAGULLS HAIR ART PLUS
It's a basic Flock of Seagulls primer, serving up the big hits plus other singles like "Nightmares" and a few album tracks, and it does its job very well. While there is a genuine rarity here with "Lost Control" - the B-side to "The More You Live, the More You Love," making its CD debut here - this is hardly a fan-oriented compilation. A Flock of Seagulls was certainly an MTV favorite, with lead singer/keyboardist Mike Score's haircut being as well known as the group's chilly synth pop, so they're a perfect choice for this series, and the comp does manage to be an effective dose of nostalgia - either for those who grew up with synth pop on MTV or for those who wish they did - as well as an effective overview of the group's work.
All four are on 2006's We Are the '80s, released as part of VH1 Classic and Legacy's We Are the '80s series, which focused on MTV favorites from the early and mid-'80s. Ever since 1987's Best of A Flock of Seagulls, there has been a new major-label comp every three or five years, with a bunch of budget-line and international releases arriving nearly on an annual basis, so there have been more than enough options for casual fans over the years - particularly since most listeners aren't looking for much more than "I Ran (So Far Away)," "Space Age Love Song," "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)," and "Telecommunication," which invariably show up on every one of these discs.
It can't be said that there haven't been enough compilations of A Flock of Seagulls over the last 20 years.
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